CBS, the most stable of the major broadcast networks, has ordered only five new shows for the upcoming TV season. But that doesn’t mean it’s not tinkering with the lineup.

For fall, CBS is shifting ”CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” from its long-time Thursday to make room for a new crime drama from “Lost” co-creator J.J. Abrams. That show, “Person of Interest,” will star former “Lost” cast member Michael Emerson. “CSI,” which has seen its ratings decline in recent seasons, moves to Wednesday in the schedule.

In another significant schedule change, “The Good Wife” will move from Tuesdays to Sundays in the fall and “Undercover Boss” will be benched until midseason. CBS will also try some original programming on Saturday, a night that the networks have, in recent years, left for dead. The sitcom “Rules of Engagement” will air at 8 p.m. Saturdays.

CBS announced two other new dramas. “Unforgettable” focuses on a former police detective with a flawless memory. On “A Gifted Man,” a surgeon’s deceased ex-wife returns from the hereafter.

New comedies include “2 Broke Girls,” about a pair of diner waitresses, and “How to Be a Gentleman,” about a refined newspaper columnist and his unrefined personal trainer.

“Two and a Half Men,” with Ashton Kutcher replacing Charlie Sheen, stays put on Monday. CBS executives wouldn’t give any details about how Kutcher will be written in to the series, or how Sheen will be written out.

Asked about Kutcher’s arrival, CBS chief Les Moonves declined to make a ratings prediction. “I’ve been chased from every restaurant in Los Angeles for the past two months avoiding questions,” he said. “But I think we’ve come through it just fine.”

For a detailed description of the new shows, and the official CBS press release, Continue Reading →

The frenetic “upfront” action continues as ABC unveils 13 new shows, including a comedy starring Tim Allen (“Last Man Standing”), a remake of “Charlie’s Angels,” and a fairy tale drama called Once Upon a Time.”

Eight of the new shows will appear on ABC’s fall schedule.

To make room for the new stuff, the netork canceled “Brothers & Sisters,” “V” and “Better With You.”

ABC will move “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” to Friday nights and make Sundays a night of stylized dramas, including the 1960s-era stewardess show, “Pan Am.”

Fox announced during its upfront presentation on Monday that it has ordered eight new shows for the upcoming season.

The fall lineup, as previously announced will include Simon Cowell’s new singing competition, “The X-Factor,” and “Terra Nova,” the dino drama from producer Steven Spielberg.

Missing from the fall schedule will be “America’s Most Wanted,” the Saturday-night staple that has profieled criminals on the lam since 1988. It will be replaced by reruns of Fox dramas.

Fox said it would air four two-hour “America’s Most Wanted” specials next season.

“We have not made money on the show for a while,” said Kevin Reilly, Fox’s entertainment chief. “It was economically getting to the place where it was not viable anymore, but we wanted to keep the concept alive.”

Sony finally gave details on its “Welcome Back” appreciation program. Everyone’s been calling for this since the PlayStation Network went down last month. According to the PlayStation blog:

All PlayStation Network customers can select two PS3 games from the following list. The games will be available for 30 days shortly after PlayStation Store is restored and can be kept forever.
Dead Nation
inFAMOUS
LittleBigPlanet
Super Stardust HD
Wipeout HD + Fury

For PSP owners, you will be eligible to download two PSP games from the following list. The games will be available for 30 days shortly after PlayStation Store is restored and can be kept forever.
LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
ModNation Racers
Pursuit Force
Killzone Liberation

Like a few folks, I was surprised with the direction Pixar took with Cars 2. Quite frankly, I was expecting another adventure in Radiator Springs. but the trailer that’s been out for a few months shows a different approach — one involving spies and international intrigue. I can’t imagine Mater or Lightning McQueen going all James Bond on us, but there they are, engaged in espionage and saving the world.

It’s a genre that dovetails naturally into video games. There’s a number of directions that a developer can take the project, and when Avalanche Software heard about it, the team was excited. What did they come up with? It’s racer in the same vein asMario Kart. The developer that worked on the surprisingly good Toy Story 3: The Video Game returns with another Pixar-themed offering — Cars 2: The Video Game.

I had a chance to check out the game last week at the Academy of Arts warehouse building, which houses a large collection of classic cars. It was a fitting place for Pixar director John Lasseter and Avalanche Software senior producer Jonathan Warner and producer John Day to show off the game. It features 15 different tracks and eight modes that emphasize competitive, split-screen gameplay. There is no online play. Lasseter wanted a game fans can play locally with friends and family.

From the Associated Press: NBC has picked up 12 new shows, including a raft of romantic comedies, as the fourth-place network looks to reinvent itself and emerge from a long slump.

One show NBC didn’t order was “Wonder Woman,” the superhero remake from David E. Kelley that that receive plenty of advance publicity, both good and bad. NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt said the show simply “didn’t seem to fit in with what we were trying to do.”

The network outlined its fall plans on Sunday, opening a week in which broadcasters unveil their fall schedules to advertisers. It was the first new schedule formulated by appointed when Comcast took over NBC Universal.

NBC ordered six new dramas and six new comedies, with half of them on the fall schedule and the rest planned for later debuts.

“The Playboy Club,” a 1960s-era drama set in Chicago’s bunny world, will spice up NBC’s Monday lineup. Two new comedies will also debut in the fall on Wednesday nights with Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Hank Azaria among the featured stars.

NBC’s midseason schedule includes a two-hour edition of “Celebrity Apprentice” on Sunday nights. Asked if that meant NBC had a commitment from host Donald Trump that he wouldn’t run for president, Greenblatt said, “We’re putting a pin in that for the next 24 hours or so. Things will become clearer soon.”

But he said NBC was prepared to go forward with a new host for “Celebrity Apprentice” if Trump decides to run. “I hope we don’t have to go there,” he said.

In order to make room for the new inventory, NBC had to ax several shows, including “The Event,” “Law & Order: Los Angeles,” “Outsourced,” “Perfect Couples,” “Chase” and “America’s Next Great Restaurant.”

“Chuck,” a perennial bubble show, will return for a final season of 13 episodes.

By devoting its Sunday night prime-time schedule in the fall to pro football, NBC appeared confident that the NFL’s labor problems would be solved. Greenblatt said NBC is developing some high-profile reality competitions as substitutes for football but said that “we’re feeling pretty optimistic that football will be there.”

NBC News is developing a newsmagazine with Brian Williams as host and “as soon as it’s ready, we will put it on the schedule, with enthusiasm,” Greenblatt said. Such a series will have a greater variety of stories than “Dateline NBC,” which remains on the network’s Friday schedule. Unlike the entertainment division, NBC News has stayed atop the ratings with “Nightly News” and “Today.”

Greenblatt also would not say who, if anyone, will replace actor Steve Carell when “The Office” returns for a new season next fall.

The comedy “30 Rock” won’t be on NBC’s fall schedule but will return in midseason, the delay due to creator and star Tina Fey’s pregnancy, he said.

NBC is also “circling” Jennifer Love Hewitt as a candidate to join the cast of “Law & Order: SVU” as a third detective with Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni sometime during next season, Greenblatt said.

*UPDATE: Kaz Hirai says first phase of PlayStation Network restoration is being launched right this very minute. It includes online gameplay, access to third party services such as Netflix and MLB.tv, friends list, chat functionality and PlayStation Home. You can also check to see if your area is up here on the PlayStation blog

*Update II for the tech savvy: If you’re having trouble downloading v3.61 or if you want the process to go faster, the PlayStation blog is offering an alternate way of getting the update. All you have to do is download it here and install it via a USB stick.
*Update III: And the East Coast gets PlayStation Network up first. According to the @PlayStation on Twitter: PSN service now resuming in U.S. Northeast: http://bit.ly/lrvKD9 CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, NJ, RI, VT and more to come

*Last Update: According to the @PlayStation on Twitter at 12:04 AM PDT (It’s all green baby. Time to celebrate!): PSN now returning to all U.S. states and Canada: AL, AR, LA, MS, OK, TX, IA, IL, KS, KY, MN, MO, NE, TN, WI http://bit.ly/lrvKD9

It’s not officially back up, but we’re one step closer to it. According to the PlayStation blog, the v.3.61 update is available. That doesn’t mean the PlayStation Network is up exactly, but I figure it’s nearer than we think. This is a mandatory update and lets you change your password and adds another layer of security. And if you’re wondering, the key line to post is this: “We strongly recommend that all PSN account holders with PS3s update their systems to prepare for when PlayStation Network is back online.” Are you excited? Don’t wait. Download it now!